


Tabula Rasa

by katzaren



Category: Legacies (TV 2018)
Genre: F/F, F/M, First Kiss, Getting Together, Humor, Inspired by Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV), Kissing, M/M, Memory Magic, Misunderstandings, Monster Hunters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-30
Updated: 2019-12-04
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:48:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21614824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katzaren/pseuds/katzaren
Summary: Hope does a memory spell to make everyone forget her again. Problem is, they forget who they are and that magic exists. Meanwhile monsters from Malivore are closing in. Chaos ensues.
Relationships: Hope Mikaelson/Josie Saltzman, Lizzie Saltzman/Sebastian, Milton "MG" Greasley/Kaleb Hawkins
Comments: 37
Kudos: 146





	1. Act I

**Author's Note:**

> This story is loosely based on Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode 6.08, “Tabula Rasa.” Some characters will line up pretty close with Buffy characters, but I was going more for matching the themes than the characters. It takes place right after Legacies episode 2.06, “That’s Nothing I Had to Remember.”

Hope felt more alone than ever. All her friends remembered her now, but they were angry she’d kept her return a secret. No one bothered to ask her why she’d done it. Landon hadn’t even said a word to her, and Rafael had said they couldn’t talk anymore.

Everyone was leaving her. At least she’d be going back to Malivore soon. She could finally end this, and with luck, everyone would forget her again. But Hope wasn’t sure she could wait that long. The past few days had been unbearable. She felt nothing but pain and a loneliness that rendered her useless.

A knock sounded at her door. Hope didn’t have the energy to get up and answer it. She wrapped her blanket tightly around herself and returned her attention back to the show she was mindlessly watching. Anything to fill the void.

“Hope, please open up.” Josie’s voice.

That was the last person she wanted to see right now. She hadn’t spoken to her since she’d cast the spell to return everyone’s Malivore memories. Hope was too angry to see her. This was all Josie’s fault. If she’d just let sleeping dogs lie, Hope could have told everyone in her own time. They could have found another way to destroy the Croatoan.

“Please, Hope. This is an emergency. There’s a hoard of Malivore monsters heading for the school. We need you to help fight them off, to help protect Landon.”

Hope’s heart stuttered at the sound of his name. “Landon doesn’t want to see me.”

A blast sounded behind her. Hope whirled around to see the door had burst off its hinges. She glared at Josie. “What the hell was that for?”

“I wanted to make sure you were definitely in here before I forced my way in.”

“How did you find me?”

Josie held up a map with a splotch of blood on it. A simple location spell.

Hope sighed. She should have done more to mask her location. She was just so sure no one wanted to see her right now that she hadn’t bothered. Hope swiped at her tears, letting her messy hair fall across her face. She didn’t want Josie of all people to see her like this.

“Are you going to come and fight or what?”

“No one wants me there,” Hope said, hugging her legs and resting her chin on her knees.

“My dad does. And Lizzie too. I haven’t spoken to the others, but they all know you’re the best chance we have at fighting Malivore’s monsters. We’re all gathering in the library right now to prepare to defend the school. We voted and we want you to lead the fight. Come on, Hope, people do want you there.”

“Who voted against me?” Hope asked, raising her chin. Though she already knew the answer.

“Landon and Raf. Oh, and that new vampire. Or old vampire. Sebastian.”

Hope raised an eyebrow. “Ah, the one who saved us from the Croatoan. I’ve yet to meet him, but he sounds terrible already.”

“Come on, Hope. You know you’ll never forgive yourself if the monsters get Landon and you weren’t there to save him.”

Hope let out a long sigh. As much as she didn’t want to care anymore, she knew she still cared far too much. “Okay, fine. Let me just get my stuff together.”

She went into her room and gathered her weapons into a duffel bag. She glanced over her shoulder and listened carefully to make sure Josie wasn’t right outside the door. The creak of the couch sounded as the voices on the TV droned on.

Hope pulled out the spell book she’d been poring over last night and gathered the ingredients to a particularly useful spell. She struck a match and lit the bundle of sticks.

“For those who remember what Malivore obscured, this I char,” she chanted. “Let Lethe’s Bramble do its chore. Purge their minds of memories grim of pains from recent slights and sins. When the fire goes out, when the crystal turns black, the spell will be cast. _Tabula rasa. Tabula rasa. Tabula rasa.”_

— 

When they arrived at the Salvatore School library, Hope set down her weapon bag on an armchair and surveyed the group. Alaric was poring over books at a table in the middle of the room. Landon and Rafael stood nearby discussing different tactics superheroes in comics used to fight large groups of monsters.

A broody fellow was standing in a corner tracing his finger along the book titles. Lizzie walked over to him and handed him an old-fashioned outfit on a hanger.

“Seriously, Sebastian, you haven’t washed that outfit in six hundred years. People have been complaining.”

“Is it really so important that I smell nice going into battle?” Sebastian asked, his voice lofty and lilting. She couldn’t place his accent, but it sounded vaguely British. Not what Hope would have expected.

“It is if I’m fighting with you.” Lizzie pushed the clothes into his arms and held her nose.

Sebastian flitted out of there at vamp speed and returned a moment later dressed in the new clothes. He even looked like he had showered.

Hope turned her head to the side, sniffing herself cautiously. She’d put on deodorant, but she hadn’t taken the time for a shower. Hopefully she didn’t smell too bad.

“Much better,” Lizzie declared, practically fawning over him.

MG and Kaleb were standing by one of the display cases. They’d lifted the glass, and Kaleb was showing off a ring Hope recognized.

“Hey, that’s my father’s,” Hope said. “Be careful.”

“Chill, girl. I’m just trying it on. Gosh, this is so dope.” He admired the thick golden band.

“Oh, look, there’s another,” MG said. He snatched a gold ring from the case and slid it onto his finger. Hope was about to tell him that was her step-father’s but decided it wasn’t worth the trouble. She just needed to make sure they put them back before they headed in battle.

“What do you think, Lizzie?” MG asked, holding up his hand.

She rolled her eyes. “It looks stupid. Now can we get on with the monster fighting? What’s the plan, Hope?”

All eyes turned to Hope. She glanced at the crystal in her pocket. It was almost completely black. Good. She just needed to stall a little longer. “What do we know so far?” she asked Alaric, who was sitting at a table with a book in front of him, clearly in the middle of some research.

“We don’t know much about the monsters. Only that Malivore can now send more than one at once. The zombie from last time is among them, but I expect there might be vampires as well. All with the mark of Malivore carved into their foreheads.”

“Do we have any idea of their numbers?” Hope asked. “I was thinking we could scout—” The world swayed as lights danced before Hope’s eyes. She was vaguely aware of Rafael running towards her as she passed out.

A moment later the rest of them passed out too.

—

A group of nine strangers awoke in a room filled with bookshelves. They all looked around at each other, confused.

One girl awoke in the muscled arms of a handsome black guy. She tucked a strand of long brown hair behind her ear and backed away from him. She didn’t know who he was, or who anyone was, or even who she herself was.

“Hey, there.” The guy smiled at her, giving her an appreciative look. Did he know her? Was this some strange case of amnesia? Oh, God. She needed to get to a hospital right away.

“What is this place?” came a surly British accent.

She looked across the room at a guy dressed in a ruffled shirt, dark blue coat, and black trousers tucked into boots. He looked like he’d been transported through time. Or maybe she had been transported back through time. But no, most of the others were wearing clothes like hers.

“Does anyone remember anything?” the blond girl next to the British guy asked.

“No,” everyone said at once.

“Maybe we’re all just really drunk,” said a black guy with braids.

“I don’t see any drinks, and my breath doesn’t smell like alcohol. Also I don’t think drinking would make us forget who we are,” the blonde said.

A boy with curly dark hair dug a card out of his pocket and held it up triumphantly. “I found my student ID. It seems my name is Landon. I go to Salvatore Boarding School for the Young and Gifted. Oh, wow. I’m gifted. I must be really smart.”

“Oh, I go there too,” said the black guy with braids. “Maybe we’re friends. I’m Kaleb.” He gave Landon a fist bump.

“What’s your name?” Kaleb asked the guy standing next to him.

“Milton,” he said, making a face. “Gosh, why couldn’t I have a cool name like Kaleb or Landon?”

“I’m Hope Marshall.” Hope stood up and brushed off the dust from her pants. She was relieved to have a name now, even though she still had no idea about anything else.

“Oh, hey, you got a last name. No fair,” Landon said. He rushed over to look at her ID card. “You go to a different school.”

“Mystic Falls High School,” she said, nodding. Guess she wasn’t as smart as the others...

“I’m Rafael,” said the guy she’d woken up on top of. “I go to Salvatore too.” He looked at Hope. “Hey, do you think we’re dating? We woke up all huddled together like that.”

“I guess we must be,” Hope said. There was something incredibly familiar about him, and her heart was doing little somersaults in her chest.

“Looks like we’re in the library of Salvatore Boarding School.” Landon pointed to a picture on the wall. “Most of us are students, I’d guess, but who are you?” Landon asked the older guy sitting at the table.

The guy dug through his wallet and pulled out a driver’s license. “Alaric Saltzman.” He looked at the books in front of him on the table. “I’m quite a bit older than you all. I must be a teacher, or maybe I’m the librarian. I do seem to know my way around the books.”

“I know this sounds kind of crazy, but we look kind of alike, and I feel like I need to get your approval. Do you think you’re my father?” Landon asked.

Alaric studied him. “You know. I do feel very disappointed in you and like I need to protect you. You probably are my son.”

“So I’m Landon Saltzman,” Landon said proudly. “That’s right, Hope Marshall. Last name buddies!” He gave her a high five.

“Not that anyone cares but I’m Elizabeth,” said the blonde.

“That is a beautiful name,” said the broody British guy. “Unfortunately, I have not been able to locate any identification on my person.”

Elizabeth reached over to check the tag of his coat. “Oh, look, your name is Lysander.”

Lysander scoffed, running a hand through his dark hair. “My mother must have hated me. I cannot believe she had the audacity to label my clothes and name me Lysander. What kind of name is that? Lysander. It sounds like a plague.”

“At least it’s better than Josette,” said a girl with wavy brown hair.

“That’s not so bad,” said Elizabeth. “We can call you Jojo for short.”

She made a face. “God, that’s even worse.”

“What about Josie?” Hope said.

“Ugh.” Elizabeth made a puking face.

“No, I like that. Josie it is.” Josie gave Hope a shy smile.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. “Whatever. We need to get to a hospital and figure out what’s going on.”

“Wait,” Landon said, jumping in front of her. “What if we’re just being punked? You guys could all be pretending, and I’m the only one who doesn’t remember.”

“None of us are pretending, you turnip,” Lysander grumbled.

“Maybe we’ve all been drugged,” Milton suggested. “That could explain why we don’t remember anything, right? Or we got hit on the head.”

“My head feels fine,” Kaleb said.

Josie walked over to them. “Oh, hey, you guys have matching rings. Are you two together?”

Milton and Kaleb looked at each other. “Maybe,” Milton said. “I feel like he would be my type. Strong-willed, handsome, clever.”

Kaleb grinned. “Aw, you’re making me blush. I don’t think I’d go for such a nerd, but there’s something really endearing about you.”

“Your ring,” Josie said, picking up Kaleb’s hand. “It has an M on it. M for Milton. And yours has a K for Kaleb. Guys, these look like wedding rings. I think you’re married.”

“Oh, nice.” Kaleb put his arm around Milton, smiling.

It was Milton’s turn to blush.

“Aw, you guys are so cute.” Josie looked around, wishing she had her own partner. A number of these people were good-looking, but the only one that really captivated her was the girl who was already dating someone. Hope, was it?

“Okay, everyone, let’s get out of here,” Elizabeth said, marching to the door.

“Who made you the boss?” Hope demanded.

“You guys are just sitting around, so I’m taking charge.” Elizabeth opened up the door.

Three men in horribly gruesome Halloween costumes growled at her. They had some weird symbol on their forehead, along with a ton of fake blood. They smelled horrible. Elizabeth slammed the door in their faces and backed up.

“It’s Halloween, isn’t it?” Elizabeth said, trying her best not to freak out. “Those were just costumes, right?”

“No, that smelled like real blood,” Lysander said, somehow certain of it, though he couldn’t explain why.

“How would you know?” Elizabeth asked, suspicious. “Are you a doctor, or something? Maybe you’re the one who trapped us here.” She crossed her arms.

“I assure you I did nothing of the sort.”

A crash sounded and the door flew open. They all screamed and backed away. Elizabeth picked up a sword from one of the glass cases and swung it at the approaching zombie. She kicked it backwards into the other one.

Lysander joined her, swinging a heavy book onto the monsters’ heads with surprising accuracy.

“I’m really good at this,” Elizabeth said, relishing the fact. “I must be a monster hunter. We make a good team, Lysander.”

“There’s a secret door in the wall over here,” Hope called. “It looks like it leads down somewhere.”

“I’ll check,” Rafael said. He ran down the stairs. A moment later he came back. “It looks like some sewers or tunnels. Definitely a way out.”

“Good. You guys use that to escape,” Elizabeth said, swinging at the zombie. “Lysander and I will hold off the monsters.”

“Oh, hold up. You’re not fighting them alone,” Kaleb said. “I’m going to help too.”

“Me too,” said MG.

“Look, here’s a whole bag of weapons,” Landon said. He passed them out to everyone.

“Okay, we split up,” Elizabeth said. “The rest of you go down the stairs and find a way out. We’ll hold them off as long as we can.”

The others hurried to obey, eager to be out of that room.

Elizabeth grabbed Lysander’s arm to get him out of the way of an attacking monster. She pushed the monster back with her other hand and the monster went flying backwards in a shower of sparks.

“Whoa,” she said. “Did you see that, guys? I have powers. I’m like a superhero or something.”

“No wonder you’re the boss,” Lysander said, laughing. He was looking at her in awe, clearly impressed.

“Hey, when you guys are done flirting, we could use some help over here,” Kaleb said. He was struggling to put an arrow in a crossbow.

Elizabeth marched over there and snatched it from him. As if by instinct, she placed the arrow in it and shot the zombie approaching them. “Why don’t you guys catch up with the others in the tunnels? Lysander and I have got this.”

“We can still help,” Kaleb insisted. “You can do magic, right? I found this book of magic on the table. Maybe I can find a spell you can use to stop the monsters.”

Milton grabbed Kaleb’s hand. “Come on, babe. They’ve got this.”

Kaleb looked disappointed. “There’s got to be something in the book. Come on, it’s worth a shot.”

Elizabeth huffed. “Fine, you two work on that. Lysander and I will draw them outside.”

It was easy enough to herd the monsters outside. There were twelve of them in total. This was going to be a long fight. Elizabeth glanced over at Lysander. He was strong, but he hadn’t displayed any magic skills.

One of the monsters opened its jaws displaying sharp, pointy teeth. “Oh, God, a vampire.” Elizabeth ran it through with a sword, but it didn’t slow it down even a little. She tried to knock it back with magic, but nothing happened when she thrust her hands forward.

Lysander suddenly appeared behind the vampire and snapped its neck. When he looked up at Elizabeth, dark veins spread under his eyes and long fangs protruded from his mouth.

Elizabeth yelped and stepped away, holding the sword between them. “Don’t come any closer.”

“What’s the matter, Elizabeth?”

She turned and ran.

“Elizabeth, would you slow down?”

—

Hope led the way through the underground tunnels. It was poorly lit with electric bulbs along the walls at intervals. Rats skittered across the damp floor, and a rank smell filled the place. Like old blood.

“Everyone okay?” Hope asked, glancing back at the others.

“So far,” Landon said, rubbing something sticky off his jacket. “I think I stepped into a spider web.”

Alaric placed a hand on his shoulder. “You should be more careful.”

“Sorry, Dad. It’s just really hard to see down here.”

 _“Post tenebras spero lucem,”_ Hope muttered. Light burst forth in her hand. Everyone jumped, startled. “Okay, I have no idea where that came from.”

“You have magic,” Josie said, looking fascinated. “That is so cool.” She reached over to link arms with Hope. “I’m sticking with you from now on.”

Hope laughed. “Oh, it’s not that cool. Okay, it’s pretty cool. I wonder what else I can do.”

Landon was muttering the words Hope had spoken over and over again. “Dang it. I don’t have any magic.”

“Me neither,” Alaric said. “Looks like we’re both regular humans, son.”

“Yeah, I can’t do anything either,” Rafael said, shrugging. “Looks like Hope’s the only one.”

Josie said the spell, not expecting anything to happen. Light burst forth in her hand. “Oh, I can do it too,” she said excitedly.

“That’s great,” Hope said, smiling. “Maybe we were in like a coven together or something.”

“Yeah, we’re probably magic buddies.”

“Do you think we knew magic existed?” Landon asked. “Or are we not supposed to know? If it’s some big secret, then we should be pretty excited about this, right? I mean, it’s okay for me to be geeking out a little right now.”

“The book I was reading when I woke up was a magic book,” Alaric said. “I think I must have known about it, or at least suspected.”

Rafael wrapped an arm around Hope, pulling her away from Josie. “Well, I’m pretty sure I knew since I’m dating this goddess.”

Hope felt a little weird. She was pretty sure she liked him. Her heart was racing and her skin felt electric at his touch, but she couldn’t help glancing at Josie…

—

“Elizabeth, would you stop running for one moment?” Lysander grabbed her arm. He felt a pinch of pain and then he was flying backwards. He rubbed his head. “What was that for?”

“You’re a vampire!” Elizabeth yelled. She didn’t know why her magic only seemed to work when she was touching him, but that was hardly her concern at the moment.

“What? I am _not_ a vampire,” he said, offended. “I am one of the good guys. I have been fighting by your side all this time, haven’t I?”

“Check your teeth.”

Lysander felt his canines. They were long and sharp. He sniffed the air and found he could smell blood. Goodness gracious, the girl was right. This did not make any sense to him.

“I hunt monsters like you,” Elizabeth said.

“And I feed on people like you.” He stepped closer to her, but she didn’t back away this time. Her chin was held high, and damn was that attractive. “So why don’t I feel the slightest urge to bite you? Instead I find myself drawn to you in a way I cannot explain. And why am I fighting against other monsters?”

“Maybe you’re not as powerful, and they pick on you for that.”

“No, that isn’t it,” he said with certainty. He knew he could hold his own in a fight. “I must be a noble vampire, far more intelligent than any of the monsters that give in to their thirst. I doubt I have had a drop of human blood in my life. I only feed on animals and hunt the villains who prey on humans.”

Elizabeth rolled her eyes, scoffing. “A good vampire? That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.”

“Well, maybe you have forgotten that along with everything else. Perhaps I should remind you.” Lysander was taking a risk here, but it felt right in his bones. He wrapped a hand around Elizabeth’s waist and pulled her into a deep kiss.

Elizabeth felt like her skin was on fire. She wanted to get closer to the vampire. She dug her fingers through his hair and kissed his mouth, careful not to brush against his fangs. He tilted his head so his lips brushed her neck, and she melted into his arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be two more chapters, which I will try to release quickly. I'm really excited to share this story. I've been wanting to write it for a year and finally with the way the plot is going on the show, it seemed like the perfect timing.
> 
> Please let me know what you think and thanks so much for reading!


	2. Act II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Milton tries to find a spell to get rid of the monsters, but he's distracted by a phone call. Hope confides a secret to a friend. Elizabeth and Lysander bond over slaying monsters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick reminder that Lysander is Sebastian. His jacket (that Lizzie lent him from the drama department) had that name in the tag, so that's why he's going by that.

“Do you really think we’re going to find a spell to make all the monsters go away?” Milton asked, watching as his husband slowly turned the pages of a particularly large book.

Kaleb shrugged. “I don’t know, but we need to find something. Maybe we can trap them somehow. Like a cage spell or something.”

Milton paced, rubbing his hands on his khaki pants. “This is crazy, right? Monsters attacking us, and we don’t even remember anything. You don’t think this is a prison, do you? Maybe we’re not even alive. This could be hell for all we know.”

Kaleb walked over to him and grabbed his shoulders. “Hey, Milton.” He looked into his eyes. “You need to calm down, babe. We’re going to figure this out.”

“How do you know?”

“I have confidence in you. In us. We’re tight. We can do this.”

The phone rang, causing Milton to jump about a foot in the air. Kaleb laughed. “Don’t worry. I’ll get it.” He went over to the old-fashioned phone and put the receiver to his ear. “Hello.”

“Kaleb, is that you?” A girl’s voice.

“Uh, yeah, this is Kaleb. Who’s this?”

“It’s your sister. Can you put MG on the phone?”

Kaleb mouthed the letters. “Sorry, who?”

“Oh, come on. Don’t play with me. I know he’s there. You guys are always together.” MG. Why did that seem so familiar? Oh, she meant Milton. His middle name must start with a G. “My sister wants to talk to you.” He handed the phone to Milton, or did he prefer MG?

“Hello?” Milton said.

“MG, is that you?”

Was that what he liked to be called? It sounded a heck of a lot better than Milton. “Yeah, that’s me.”

“Great, I had some more questions about the vampire thing.”

All he knew was that this was Kaleb’s sister, but he didn’t know her name. “Uh, who is this?” he said.

“It’s Kym obviously. Don’t tell me you bring up vampire stuff with just any girl.”

“Uh, no. Just you. Ah, hang on a moment.” MG pointed to the secret tunnel. “I’m just going to take this call in there and I’ll be right back,” he whispered to Kaleb.

“Sure thing. I’ll get back to looking for spells.” Kaleb gave him a smile.

MG walked through the secret doorway and closed the door behind him, running the phone cord under the bottom. He stayed on the stairs since the cord wouldn’t let him go any farther and leaned his back against the wall. He studied the ring on his finger and traced his thumb over the letter K. A shiver ran down his spine. K as in Kaleb? Or K as in Kym?

“Kym, ah, sorry if this is a weird question, but what am I to you?”

“Oh, we’re doing this now,” Kym said, sounding surprised. “We’re whatever you want us to be. But my brother absolutely can’t find out.”

Ah, so he wasn’t married to Kym. That was a relief. “Would Kaleb really be that mad if he found out?”

“You’re kidding, right? He’d be furious. Maybe even enough to bite me. And sure being a vampire sounds cool and all, but I don’t want anyone turning me against my will. If I become a vampire, it’ll be when I’m good and ready.”

MG swallowed, hard. Kaleb was a vampire. He was married to a freaking vampire. Did he know that before? Kym definitely knew and was talking to him about it like he knew and even asked about vampires. Oh, God. “Why do you want to know more about vampires?”

“Well, you just made it sound really cool. Though, I don’t think I’d want to be stuck a teenager like you, no offense. I’d want to wait until I was a little older. Like that Sebastian dude. He looks like he was turned at a good age.”

Sebastian? MG didn’t know who that was. But at least Kym had confirmed he was a vampire. “Uh, so remind me what I’ve told you so far about being a vampire. I want to know what you already know so I can tell you what you don’t know.” Wow, MG was rambling like an idiot. Maybe he did like this Kym person. Oh, wow. That complicated things…

“Oh, you know, feeding on blood, superspeed, super strength, compulsion. Oh, that cool way you can read books really fast.”

“You mean I could’ve—” MG clamped his mouth shut. He felt like an idiot. They could have found the spell by now if they’d just known they were vampires. “I’ve got to go. It was nice talking to you, Kym.”

“Anytime. Hit me up if you can get away from Kaleb for a little while.”

“Talk to you later. Bye.”

The phone line disconnected. MG trudged up the stairs, feeling like scum. Apparently he’d been thinking about cheating on his husband, with Kaleb’s sister at that. God, that was so low. Was there something wrong with their relationship?

MG opened the door and walked over to put the phone on its base.

“Everything good?” Kaleb asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

“Yeah, it’s all good. She just had some questions. Oh, and it turns out we’re vampires. We can speedread.”

Kaleb’s jaw dropped. “You’re kidding.”

“Yeah.” MG picked up a book and willed the power to activate. A moment later he’d read the whole book. “Whoa, that was really cool.”

“Well, I guess that explains why we married so young,” Kaleb said. “We’re probably like a hundred years old or something. I wonder how long we’ve been together.”

MG lifted his hand. “These rings look pretty old. But wait, your sister is human, and she didn’t sound much younger than us. Unless she’s like adopted or something.”

“Yeah, that’s probably it. I get the feeling I was a naval captain in the eighteenth century or something. What about you?”

MG shrugged. “I actually don’t think I’m that old. Maybe I was a teen in the eighties.”

“What year is it right now anyways?”

“I don’t even know. Let’s get back to the research. Now that we can knock out these books quickly, I’m sure we’ll find something in no time.”

Kaleb gave him a long look. He could tell MG was hiding something, but he didn’t press him. They had much more important things to worry about right now.

—

Josie was leading the way through the tunnels now, the ball of light hovering above her hand. So far they hadn’t come across any monsters thankfully. They all had weapons, but whether any of them knew how to use them was a mystery.

Hope tripped on a metal pipe, and Josie caught her. Her hand lingered on Hope’s arm, and her heart raced. Gosh, Hope’s eyes were incredible.

Josie hurriedly pulled away as Rafael put a hand on Hope’s shoulder. “You okay?” he asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Hope glanced back at Josie, giving her a sweet smile. “Thanks.”

“No problem.” Josie hurried to the front of the group again. “I think it’s this way.”

As they turned the corner, a monster jumped out at them. It had razor sharp teeth and red eyes.

“Run!” Hope yelled. They all ran back the way they’d come. Hope remembered a little hideaway spot they’d passed earlier. She led the way back there.

“I’ll keep the monster distracted,” Alaric said.

“But you don’t have magic,” Hope argued.

Alaric hoisted up his crossbow. “No, but I have a feeling I’ve done this before. Anyways, I’m the adult here. I should be the one to protect you all.”

“Are you sure, Dad?” Landon asked, worried. He didn’t want anything bad to happen to him. His dad might be his only family, for all he knew.

Alaric nodded. “I’m sure. Now go. I’ll draw it away.” He hurried down the tunnels toward the monster.

The rest of them crawled into the pipe, closing the grate behind them.

The room was smaller than the library, with metal bars on three sides. Hope went to sit on one side by herself and looked through the bars for any signs of the monsters. She was on high alert for danger. This situation felt so familiar to her, but it was a lot harder to fight when you didn’t remember what you could do. That worried her.

“Hey, Hope, see anything or hear anything?”

She looked over to see Landon sitting across from her. “Nothing yet. I think we lost the monster.”

“This place must be swarming with them, if it managed to find us down here,” Landon said. “It came from the opposite direction of us, so it didn’t follow us from the library.”

“How are you holding up?” Hope asked. As a human with no magic, he seemed to be the weakest of the group. She was worried he was freaking out. She would be too if she was in his situation.

“I’m okay. This all feels kind of familiar, you know? Like, I get the feeling monsters chase after me a lot. But that’s kind of silly, I guess.”

“It’s not. You don’t remember your life. Maybe you don’t have magic, but maybe you can do something else. Something that can fight monsters better than Elizabeth can.”

Landon sighed. “I’m not expecting much. I just hope we can find a way out of this. I’d really like my memories back. It’s hard not knowing who I am. But I’m lucky that I have my dad here and some of my friends.”

Hope put a hand on his knee. “We’re in this together.”

“Thanks, Hope. And since no one’s asked you, how are you?”

Hope laughed. It was true. No one had asked her. Not even her supposed boyfriend. It was as if they all expected her to be fine with dangerous situations. She lowered her voice to make sure the others couldn’t hear. “I’m confused. This situation feels very familiar, but something is off about it. And…” She glanced at Rafael and Josie, who were watching through the peephole in the door they’d come through.

“And what, Hope? You can tell me. I’m trustworthy. At least I think I am.”

“Love the confidence,” Hope said, smiling. She didn’t know why she wanted to tell him this, but she felt like she could trust him with her deepest secrets. And right now she didn’t feel like she had anything to lose. “I like Rafael, sure, but there’s someone else I have stronger feelings for.”

“What? Me? Oh, wow, I never thought a girl as pretty as—oh, wait, I know that face. I guessed totally wrong, didn’t I? Is it that British guy? Lysander?”

Hope snorted. “Never in a million years.” She glanced over at Josie, afraid to say her name aloud. “I think I’m kinda bi.”

Landon followed her gaze to Josie and the pieces clicked into place. “Oh, that makes so much sense. She’s really pretty. And honestly, I think she likes you too. I noticed she’s been giving you heart eyes all night.”

“Has she?” Hope asked, blushing.

“Yeah, I think you should go for it.”

“What about Rafael?”

“Just tell him you realized you two aren’t really dating. It’s probably true, right?”

Hope nodded. He was right. “Thanks, Landon. You’re a great friend.”

— 

Elizabeth pulled away from the most epic kiss of her life. She could spend the whole night kissing Lysander, but they had the monsters to worry about.

“Okay,” she said. “I definitely feel like we've done that before.”

“Likewise. Get down.”

Elizabeth ducked out of the way while Lysander lunged at an approaching zombie. He had a knife in his hand but soon discarded it when he found his teeth far more useful.

“You’re pretty good at this,” Elizabeth said, swinging her sword at another zombie. “Sure, you aren’t a killer?”

“Only of monsters.”

Elizabeth still wasn’t sure whether she believed him, but for now she had to trust him. She whirled around to block a zombie from chopping down on Lysander. They were back to back. She gripped his hand and shot her hand out, saying the first word that came to her mind. _“Incendia!”_

The two zombies in front of her burst into flames. Smoke billowed from them, and acrid smell filled the air. Elizabeth coughed and stepped back. “Remind me not to barbeque zombies again.”

“Barbeque?” Lysander asked. “Forgive me, but I am not familiar with the word.”

“You know, cook, roast, blacken.” She gestured at the two zombies falling to their knees. A moment later they were just ashes.

“Ah. How old do you reckon I am?”

“Based on your outfit, you’re probably from the early 1600s.”

Lysander struggled in vain to rub a spot of blood off his coat. “One of the pictures on the wall in that library bore the inscription ‘established in 2019,’ so that's at least four hundred years. I must have seen a lot in my time, though nothing as beautiful and powerful as you, my dear Elizabeth. Of that I am certain.”

Elizabeth put a hand to her racing heart. Just then a creature with sharp teeth snapped at them, forcing them apart. “We. Are. Trying. To. Have. A. Conversation.” Elizabeth hacked at the creature with each word.

Lysander grinned at her. “And you’re concerned that I am the killer?”

A smile tugged at Elizabeth’s lips. She tried to force it down, but it just grew. “Oh, shut up. I’m a superhero with witchy powers. I’m allowed to be good at killing monsters.”

“Killing them, or kissing them?” he teased.

Elizabeth felt a fierce blush spread across her cheeks. Lysander sure knew his way around the English language, and he knew exactly the right words to say to make her weak in the knees. But Elizabeth unfortunately didn’t share that talent, or if she did, she didn’t remember how to use it.

She cleared her throat. “Let’s focus on fighting again. There’s still a dozen more of these coming.”

—

MG plopped a book in front of Kaleb, excited. “I found it. A spell that can make all the monsters in the area go away.”

Kaleb gave him a look, like he was the biggest idiot on the planet. “If we get this spell to work, we’ll go away too.”

“Oh, right. We’re considered monsters.” MG slid the book back to his side of the table. “Sorry, I’m just not used to the idea that I’m a vampire yet.”

“Yeah, well, I’m not used to the idea that I married an idiot like you.”

“I’m not an idiot,” MG said defensively. “I just had a brain tart.”

“It’s brain fart. Why the heck would it be brain tart? That would be, like, nutritional to your brain.”

MG huffed. “Well, someone’s acting tarty.”

“Yeah, because you’re keeping secrets,” Kaleb snapped. “You went to talk to my sister alone. Clearly it was about something you don’t want me to know. Are you thinking of turning her?”

“No, of course not.”

Kaleb snorted. “Yeah, right. You probably think you’re doing her a favor, but being a vampire is no walk in the park. There’s literally a spell that can destroy us like that.” He snapped his fingers.

“God, I know. I’m not doing that, I swear.”

Kaleb pursed his lips. “Then what were you talking about?”

“Nothing. I just—I found out her name is Kym, and I thought that the ring I’m wearing might mean I’m with Kym and not with you. So I wanted to ask her if I was anything to her. But you don’t need to worry. She said I’m not together with her. I’m with you.”

“You didn’t tell her that we forgot everything, did you? Because she could use that to her advantage and tell us whatever crap she felt like.”

“I’m not stupid. I didn’t tell her anything. I worded it so she wouldn’t know I didn’t know. God, why are you being like this?”

“Oh, so now I’m not allowed to get jealous that my husband is having private conversations with my sister?”

MG swallowed, hard. “There’s nothing going on with her. I’m not even sure if I like girls.” Well, that was a lie. He’d definitely been attracted to literally all of the girls in the library earlier.

“Milton, I know I promised to love you through sickness and health, til death do us part, but you’re making it really hard right now.”

MG laughed. “Well, we definitely didn’t use those exact vows. Kinda moot since we’re vampires.”

Kaleb had him against the wall a moment later, a hand to his throat. “I’m not in the mood for jokes.”

“No wonder I was thinking of cheating on you.” MG clamped a hand over his mouth. “Sorry, I didn’t mean it.”

“So you were flirting with my sister?”

“I wasn’t, but she said that I’ve flirted with her before. She was willing to secretly date me behind your back, but I don’t like her. Or I don’t know. Maybe I do. I don’t remember.”

MG squeezed his eyes shut, preparing himself for whatever punishment Kaleb saw fit, but Kaleb let go of his neck and kissed him.

MG opened his eyes, and he saw Kaleb’s eyelids flutter shut. His lips were soft, his skin smelling sweet. He was definitely wearing some cologne, but not a lot. Just enough to make a vampire dizzy with pleasure.

Kaleb traced kisses down his neck and ran a hand under MG’s shirt. “I’m sorry for whatever I did,” he said. “I wasn’t treating you like the precious gem you are.” He kissed the spot where MG’s neck met his collar.

MG felt like spaghetti under Kaleb’s strong arms. He could see why he’d married this man. Kissing him felt amazing. Oh, God. He wanted so much more, but there were monsters to fight. They needed to find that spell.

Kaleb nipped at his skin, tracing a fang along MG’s neck, just enough to send shivers through MG’s body. He felt alive, in a way he never had before, and the spell completely disappeared from his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter to go!


	3. Act III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When a monster breaks into their hiding spot, Hope and her friends are forced to flee. But they can't run forever; they'll have to stand and fight. What will happen to these pairs of lovers and friends once their memories are restored?

A bang shook the room as two monsters rammed their heads against the metal door. Hope grabbed Josie’s arm and pulled her towards the back of the room. They all huddled together as the door shook again.

“We have to find a way out of here,” Hope said. “Otherwise we’re just sitting ducks.”

“There’s only one door,” Rafael said.

Hope nodded her head to the metal bars behind them. Landon was closest so he started pulling on a metal bar with both hands.

He winced, pulling his hands away and rubbing them together. “It won’t budge.”

Hope grabbed the bar and yanked. The bar broke free with a horrendous creak. She staggered back, shocked that had actually worked. Josie caught her and steadied her.

“And you have super strength,” Landon said, excited. “That is so cool!”

Hope pulled out another two bars. The four of them squeezed through the gap just as the door crashed to the floor. They ran down the hallways of the tunnel, dodging rats and splashing through puddles. As they rounded a corner, a man appeared, aiming a crossbow right at them.

“Whoa, Dad, it’s just us,” said Landon, lifting his hands in surrender.

Alaric lowered his crossbow. “I thought you were going to hide.”

“We were, but the monsters broke into our hiding spot.”

“I think they’re drawn to one of us,” Hope said. “Maybe Josie or me, since we’re the ones that can do magic.”

“And Hope has super strength,” Landon added.

“No, I think it’s drawn to me,” Rafael said. “That last zombie was giving me a nasty look.”

“That’s just how it’s face looked,” Landon said.

Just then a monster rounded the corner, going straight for Landon. Josie stepped forward and shot fire at the creature. It wailed and shrieked until it collapsed on the dirty floor.

“Well, that answers that question,” Hope said. “Landon, get in the middle. Come on, we need to get out of here. It’s harder to fight in cramped quarters like this.”

They clambered down the hallway. “Why is it always me?” Landon asked, hurrying to keep up with the others.

“You don’t know that,” Rafael said. He wasn’t even breaking a sweat.

“It sure feels like it, though. I’m like monster candy or something.”

Another monster jumped out at them.

Hope and Josie went crashing down while Rafael and Alaric attacked the monster.

Hope stared at Josie. She was on top of her, and the connection between them was unmistakable. Their eyes met, and it was like magic exploding inside of her. Without even thinking about it, she leaned down and brushed her lips against Josie’s.

Josie kissed her back, soft and sweet, and threaded her fingers through Hope’s hair. Josie was so beautiful. Hope wanted to do much more than kiss her. Certain thoughts involving a bed popped into her head, but she pushed them aside. Now was not the time or the place.

Hope stood up and offered a hand to help Josie to her feet. She looked around to see Landon giving her a thumbs up. He mouthed, “told you.”

Hope laughed and squeezed Josie’s hand. Despite the monsters chasing them she was giddy with excitement. She could have this precious girl all to herself. Even if they never got their memories back, she felt she’d be okay with it if she could be with Josie.

“A little help here?” Rafael called. He and Alaric were holding off a particularly large monster.

Josie and Hope, hands still linked, shot a spell at the monster and it slammed into the wall. The sound echoed throughout the tunnels.

“Crap, maybe that wasn’t such a good idea,” Hope said. The sound would act like a beacon to the monsters. They needed to find a way out of here and fast.

— 

Elizabeth caught her breath, wiping sweat from her face with her sleeve. Lysander finished ripping into a monster’s throat. He had less success wiping the blood from his mouth. They turned, prepared to strike the next monster, only to find the monsters were fleeing into the woods…

“Where are they going?” Elizabeth asked.

Lysander looked around. His eyes zeroed in on a spot in the woods. “They seem to be jumping into the ground.”

Her eyes went wide. “The tunnels.” She grabbed Lysander’s hand. “We’ve got to hurry. Let’s run.”

Lysander wrapped an arm around her back and hooked the other under her knees. He hoisted her up bridal style. “I know a faster way.”

Air whooshed past them, and then they were in the tunnels. Elizabeth gagged at the awful smell. Lysander set her down. They could see the shadows of the monsters heading down the tunnels.

“Come on, let’s go.”

They followed the monsters, which all seemed to be heading to the same place.

“Hey, uglies,” Elizabeth called and sent a wall of fire at the monsters. Three down, but there were still more.

They hurried down the hallways until they came upon the rest of the group. Everyone was there except for Milton and Kaleb. She hoped they were okay in the library. Elizabeth ran to join the group. Lysander wasn’t far behind.

With their combined efforts, they were able to destroy all the monsters in the tunnel. Elizabeth collapsed against the wall when they were done.

“Magic is amazing, but exhausting,” she admitted.

Lysander grinned at her. “But you do look ravishing doing it.”

Landon ran over to thank them, but as he did, his foot crushed a black crystal that had fallen on the ground. Memories came crashing back to him, and he collapsed to his knees. He looked over at Josie and Hope, confused.

Some spell had taken their memories again, but he remembered everything now. He remembered his feelings for Josie and his feelings for Hope. And Josie and Hope’s feelings for each other. His mind was reeling. They only had feelings because of the spell, right?

Alaric ran over to hug Lizzie and Josie. “I can’t believe I didn’t recognize you two as my own daughters.”

“Yeah, we’re way cooler than Landon,” Lizzie said, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

Landon felt embarrassed that he’d been calling their old headmaster Dad all night. An ache lingered in his chest. For a few hours, he’d believed he had a family, a father who cared about him and was willing to fight monsters to protect him. He remembered the feeling with startling clarity, and it hurt to realize that it was false.

But at least he hadn’t thought his best friend was his husband like Kaleb and MG. He couldn’t help but chuckle at the thought. That eased his mind a little bit. 

Rafael made his way down the tunnels without a word. He couldn’t bear to be with the group a moment longer. It was bad enough he’d thought he was dating Hope, but now he knew someone was playing tricks with their memories again. Was it Malivore? Or another of Josie’s spells? He just needed to get away from everyone. Take some time to himself. Oh how he wished it was a full moon.

“Josie, we need to talk,” Hope said.

“Not now.” She turned away from her, focusing on her dad and her sister.

Hope felt a coldness deep within. Her spell hadn’t worked the way it was supposed to. They were only supposed to forget the Malivore memories, not everything. When they found out it was her fault, they’d all be even more angry with her than they already were. And Josie. She was sure Josie already suspected she was behind the spell. The way she’d just brushed her aside, not even wanting to talk to her.

Hope’s heart felt like it was breaking all over again. For a moment she’d had Josie in her arms, she’d kissed her, and it had been amazing. Better than she had ever dreamed. Her crush from four years ago had come rushing back to her, and it was like no time had passed at all. But Josie wouldn’t want her now that she remembered everything they’d been through.

With one last glance at the group, Hope headed through the tunnels. She remembered the way back to the library, and then from there she could just go home.

—

MG and Kaleb pulled away from each other as the memories rushed back to them. They both yanked off their rings.

“M for Mikaelson,” Kaleb said, placing it back in the case like it was poison.

“And K for Kenner,” MG said. It was an old royal bloodline of werewolves. He seemed to recall Hope was related to them in some way, maybe not by blood. “Wow, what a mistake to make.”

Kaleb looked at him. “We’ll never speak of this again.”

MG nodded. “Agreed. Fist bump on it?” He held out his hand.

Kaleb shook his head. “Too soon. And don’t think you can flirt with Kym again. I mean it when I said my sister was off limits. Anyways, I’m gonna head back to my room. Do something to get my mind off today.” He shuddered and walked away.

MG collapsed onto a chair, putting his fingers to his lips. He remembered the kiss in vivid detail, but it didn’t horrify him like it did for Kaleb. He missed Kaleb’s lips, his firm arms, his dark eyes. But he needed to get his thoughts off of Kaleb. They were just friends. That was all Kaleb wanted it to be. He’d made that painfully clear.

MG started putting away the dozens of books they’d pulled from the shelves. They were all scattered across the floor and on the edge of the table. He heard a door creak, and he looked up embarrassingly fast to see if Kaleb had returned, but no one was at the door.

“Behind you.”

He turned to see Rafael walking in through the secret door. “We slayed all the monsters. And got our memories back. Maybe it was some Malivore memory-stealing monster or something. But it’s gone now.”

MG nodded. “Yeah, that’s good.”

“We both guessed wrong, huh? I thought I was with Hope, and you thought you were with Kaleb. Feels weird, right?”

“Totally. Didn’t you want to date Hope, though?”

“Yeah, but I couldn’t do that to Landon now that I remember what they were. It’ll never happen, even though I really like her.”

“Yeah, same. I mean.” MG tried to hide his embarrassment without success.

Rafael raised an eyebrow. “You mean you really like Kaleb?”

MG shrugged. “I mean, yeah. He’s handsome and a good kisser and I’m going to shut up now.”

Rafael laughed. He walked over to MG and leaned against the bookcase. “Why don’t we go on a date?”

Startled, MG dropped the book he was holding. “You want to go out with me?” he asked in disbelief. Rafael was gorgeous, strong, and leagues above MG.

“Yeah, I do. I’m still getting over Hope, but that’s okay. I want to try being with someone new. And even if we don’t work out, it’ll be nice to have another guy friend who’s bi. I always feel too awkward to talk about cute guys with Landon.” He laughed.

“You know what? Let’s do it.”

—

Lizzie walked over to Sebastian. “Sorry about the whole Lysander thing. This costume was from our school’s production of _A Midsummer Night’s Dream._ ”

Sebastian raised an eyebrow. “I am not familiar with it.”

“It’s by Shakespeare. William Shakespeare. Oh, wait. What year did Shakespeare write his plays? It might have been after your time. Anyways, in the play Lysander gets dosed with a love spell so he falls for the wrong girl.”

“I assure you I haven’t fallen for the wrong girl,” Sebastian said with a charming smile. “I may not have remembered my identity, but I was in complete control of my actions, Elizabeth. You are the only girl I want to be with.”

Lizzie caught herself swooning and twirled the ends of her hair. “Well, then should we have another try at a date? Since you’ve got your body back and everything.”

Sebastian chuckled. “It would be my pleasure, Elizabeth.” He offered her his arm.

“Why thank you, Lysander.”

He winced. “Please do not call me that.”

“I’ll stop calling you Lysander when you stop calling me Elizabeth,” she teased.

“Oh, you wouldn’t dare.”

Lizzie grinned. “Try me.”

They walked off, arm in arm, flirting and teasing one another.

Josie watched wistfully. She missed being in a relationship, being in love. Right now things were complicated. Landon still needed time to decide between Josie and Hope, and Josie wasn’t so sure she wanted him to choose either of them. She still had feelings for Hope, even after all this time.

She’d known it this morning before this whole mess happened. As soon as the Malivore memories came back, she was slammed with her crush and the jealousy she felt watching Landon and Hope before she started dating Landon. When she’d been jealous of Landon for dating Hope. The girl she’d tried to get close to for years, and he’d just waltzed in there and captured her effortlessly.

Now she wasn’t sure what was real. Did Hope have feelings for her? Or did all that only happen because of the spell? And what broke the spell? Killing the monsters?

She walked around the area, searching the ground for clues, while Landon and Alaric laughed about their temporary father-son bond. Josie reached down to pick up a broken shard of crystal. She could feel the magic lingering in it.

A spell like this could only have come from Hope. The truth hit her all at once. Hope had been trying to erase everyone’s Malivore memories again. What? She just couldn’t deal with the possibility Landon might not choose her?

Josie crushed the crystal into powder in her hand. She was furious like she’d never been before. Without a word to her father, she stormed down the tunnels, following the way Hope had gone. She would catch up to her and confront her before the night was over.

—

While Hope was packing up her weapons in the library, Lizzie and Sebastian came through the secret door. She wished them a good night, but Lizzie hardly spared her a glance. She was so entranced with Sebastian.

Hope was happy for her and all, but she still didn’t like Sebastian. She didn’t trust him even a little. If she’d had her way, he’d be locked in the werewolf transition space.

She noticed a card on the floor and picked it up. Turning it over, she discovered it was Josie’s school ID. She must have dropped it earlier.

Hope stared at the picture of Josie on the card. She couldn’t believe her crush from four years ago had returned. And now that it was back she was having a hard time shoving her feelings back into a box. Even though she really needed to. The spell had just made everything worse. Talk about a disaster.

“Hope.”

She jumped and whirled around to see Josie peering around the secret door.

“Can we talk?” Josie said, walking towards her.

Hope shrugged. “Yeah, I guess.”

“I found the crystal. I know you did a spell.”

Hope gave her a strained smile. “Yeah, well, you know what a disaster it was.”

“Why did you do it?” Josie asked. “Was it because of what I did?”

Hope shuffled her foot against the floor. “What do you think? You took away my chance to tell everyone on my own time. Suddenly everyone knew who I was again, and they were all angry I kept it a secret.”

“That’s fair, but you also have to consider that I didn’t remember who you were when I cast the spell. All I knew was the version of you people wrote about in their diaries. Which doesn’t begin to show your kindness, your gentleness, and how much you care about everyone. I brought everyone’s memories back because I was frustrated some selfish girl who used to date my boyfriend was fooling all of us. Once I had the memories back, I felt horrible. Believe me.”

Hope nodded. It made sense, even if it didn’t excuse it. “Well, you got one part right. I am selfish. I can’t believe I tried to make everyone forget again just so I wouldn’t have to deal with Landon and Rafael being so awkward around me.”

“Why did you keep your return a secret?”

“I had my reasons, but no one seems to care about that.”

“Your reasons were me and Landon, right?”

Hope nodded. “Yes, that, and it just seemed easier. If I’m going to close Malivore properly, it means going into Malivore again. And everyone would just forget me again. It was easier if no one remembered me.”

“Easier for who?” Josie said, stepping closer to her.

“Everyone.”

Josie took her hand. “Not everyone. Not easier for you, not easier for me. Hope, you should have told me. I would never have dated Landon if I knew about you.”

“By the time I got out of Malivore it was too late. You were already with him.”

Josie took a deep breath. “Okay, but I don’t want to be with him anymore.”

“You don’t?” Hope asked in surprise. This was definitely not what she expected. Was Josie just going to hand Landon back to her?

“No, because I’d rather be with you.”

Hope’s heart was racing. Surely she’d heard her wrong. “You want to be with me? Are you sure?”

Josie laughed and swiped at a tear. “Yeah, I’m sure, you dummy. Being with you today without all the baggage reminded me of how I feel about you. It’s always been you, Hope. Ever since I was twelve, I’ve had these feelings for you, and I’ve just pushed them down all these years, but I’m done doing that. So I needed to tell you. If you reject me, then I’ll work on getting over them, but if there’s any chance, please let me know.”

“Of course there’s a chance, Josie. Everything today was real. I liked you when I was fourteen, and I like you again now. So much, Josie.”

“More than Landon?” Josie asked.

Hope laughed. “I don’t want to compare you two. Landon and I had something really special, but I want to explore my feelings for you.”

Josie beamed, looking like a ray of sunshine. “So, Hope Mikaelson, would you officially be my girlfriend?”

“Yes! And I’m sorry I got mad at you about the memory thing. Bringing back the Malivore memories was messy, but it wasn’t fair that I lied to everyone. I’m really sorry.”

“No, I’m sorry. Even if I thought you were just some selfish girl, I should have asked you about the spell first, or at least told you I was doing it. I kind of just jumped in there and made the decision for you.”

“We were being attacked by the Croatoan. Not like you had much of a chance. Anyways, enough apologizing. Let’s get back to that thing you do really well.”

“Oh, you mean magic?”

Hope laughed. “Something else.”

“Studying. Well, we are in the library. I suppose we can have a study date.”

Hope smacked her arm playfully. She couldn’t wait a moment longer. She pulled Josie in for a nice long kiss. Everything felt right in the world.

The swarm of Malivore monsters was gone. More would come, but at least they’d have this night to themselves. She could get over the awkwardness with Landon and Rafael eventually. And hey, at least now she didn’t have to stress about Landon making a decision. She’d made her own, and she was very happy with it.

Josie ran her hand under Hope’s shirt and pulled her closer. Her hand ran along Hope’s back as they kissed. They were so engrossed in each other that they didn’t notice Landon and Alaric slip through the room. Landon was oddly calm about the whole thing. He remembered how excited Hope was in the tunnels about her crush on Josie. It was still felt strange to him, but more than anything he wanted Hope and Josie to be happy. Even if it wasn’t with him. Besides, he was relieved he didn’t have to make the impossible choice between the two of them.

Hope and Josie were lost in their own world, and my was it a wonderful place to be. Holding hands, they walked back to Josie’s bedroom. They were relieved to find it empty. Lizzie was most likely still spending time with Sebastian. Maybe by the lake.

Even though the spell was definitely a bad idea, Hope was glad she’d done it. It had brought everyone closer together in the end, and she felt confident that she could face whatever Malivore threw at her with this amazing group of friends. With her amazing girlfriend.

Hope and Josie cuddled in Josie’s bed, Josie snuggling under her chin. They told each other stories, shared secrets, and reminisced on their journey so far. They both bubbled with happiness, and in that brief moment that felt like ages, it felt like there was no danger in the whole world.

That night they didn’t dream of safety or happy endings, but of a life together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If we shadows have offended,  
> Think but this, and all is mended,  
> That you have but slumber'd here  
> While these visions did appear.  
> -A Midsummer Night's Dream
> 
> Thanks for sticking around until the end! I had a lot of fun with this story, and I'd love to hear what people thought of it.


End file.
